Trump: I can make peace in 24 hours

DONALD Trump has told a campaign rally he is the only one who can stop a third world war – and could negotiate peace in Ukraine in less than 2 hours.

The former president was speaking to Republican supporters at a theatre in Iowa, the first state to pick its preferred candidate for next year’s presidential race.

Mr Trump, 76, played up his record on agriculture and was keen to attack Ron DeSantis, his main rival for the Republican party’s nomination, on Monday evening.

He went on to describe the war in Ukraine as a tragedy and claimed Kyiv had sought to downplay casualty figures, The Times reported.

Mr Trump said: ‘ The Biden administration has driven Russia right into the arms of China, something that is unacceptable. I don’t think we’ve ever had a more dangerous time for this country and the world. I don’t believe there’s ever been a time like we’re in right now.’

It is not the first time Mr Trump has made outlandish comments about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last week Mr Trump indicated he would have ‘made a deal’ with Vladimir Putin in order to end the war in Ukraine, had he been president.

He told one radio show: ‘Don’t forget, under Bush they take over Georgia, under Obama they took over Crimea. And, under Biden, they’re taking over everything.

‘And, under Trump, you know what they took over? They took nothing, Russia. First time, first president in a long time. He [Putin] understood. He would have never done it.’